1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-layered chip electronic component.
2. Description of the Related Art
An inductor, a multi-layered chip component, is a representative passive element capable of removing noise by configuring an electronic circuit, together with a resistor and a capacitor.
A multi-layered chip type inductor may be manufactured by printing and stacking conductive patterns so as to form a coil in a magnetic substance. The multi-layered chip type inductor has a structure in which a plurality of magnetic layers on which conductive patterns are formed are stacked. Internal conductive patterns within the multi-layered chip type inductor are sequentially connected by via electrodes formed in each magnetic layer to form a coil structure within a chip to implement targeted inductance and impedance characteristics.
Recently, as multi-layered chip type inductors have been miniaturized, the multi-layered chip type inductors have had a defect of reduced inductance due to DC bias. In order to suppress the reduction in inductance due to DC bias, the miniaturized power inductor is formed with a non-magnetic gap layer to suppress magnetic saturation.
The forming of the non-magnetic gap layer in the multi-layered chip type inductor is to use an effect of reducing the overall effective permeability of the multi-layered body in the multi-layered chip type inductor to delay magnetization.
Here, effective permeability depends on a volume ratio of a magnetic substance to a non-magnetic substance. When a thickness of the non-magnetic gap layer is increased and the number of layers thereof is reduced under the precondition that the non-magnetic gap layer has the same volume, a magnetic flux forms a local loop in the magnetic layers around the conductive patterns to partially cause a flux offset, having a bad effect on the DC bias characteristics, and when the thickness of non-magnetic gap layer is thin and the number of layers thereof is increased, the local loop can be suppressed as possible.
Therefore, a development of the multi-layered chip type inductor with excellent DC bias characteristics while implementing miniaturization and securing sufficient capacity, may be undertaken by adjusting the thickness of the non-magnetic gap layer.